SCCAN helps extend life of sickle cell anaemia sufferers in Sierra Leone. Sickle cell anaemia is a painful, inherited, life threatening blood disorder. If unmanaged, 80% of under 5’s die in rural areas. With 12 million sufferers in Africa, SCCAN promotes awareness, counselling, and medication.

Charity Registration No. 1130740

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Thanks for visiting this page, please donate to help us put on the events below to mark International Sickle Cell Awareness Day and, if you can, help out with our planned events below.

SCCAN APPEAL to SUPPORTERS for URGENT ACTION

In preparation for the 19th
June

SCCAN will be marking UN International Sickle Cell Awareness Day, which is on the 19th
June. The plan is that we give out leaflets together
with 500ml sealed plastic bags of clean filtered drinking water (known as two
tik and usually sold) on the streets of Freetown, Koidu and anywhere else we
can arrange at short notice. Giving away free water on a hot day will attract a
lot of attention on the streets of Freetown and our leaflets will explain
briefly why clean drinking water and hydration are vitally important for the
survival of sickle cell sufferers and for general health. The leaflets will be A6
size (one quarter of A4) and will give our brief 4 point information on sickle
cell our ‘all it takes’ message and brief contact details (to recruit
volunteers and support.

Students from the Kono Students Union have now come on board. They are making preparations in Freetown to organise a rally, give out leaflets and water sachets in the city centre and at certain points around the city. A children from a school in Freetown will also be taking part. Local volunteers will do likewise in Koidu city centre in Kono and sickle cell sufferers will also be present to talk about their condition and educate the public. SCCAN UK have already sent some of the funds for these events but we still need partner support and more donations to make this events effective.

We also want to lobby the
organisations below who are active in Sierra Leone and who are concerned with water supply and
sanitation.

We are going to send a letter (enclosing UN
and WHO resolutions on sickle cell anaemia) to all of their regional offices
and head offices in Sierra Leone and email copies to their international HQ country
desks (Sierra Leone/Africa), to health
and other ministries, and to health NGO’s asking action on sickle cell in Sierra Leoneto mark International Sickle Cell Awareness Day on 19th June. This will have
the effect of;

1. A hopefully gaining last minute
resources from them to help our planned events